Fountain pen



l. D. TEFFT March 8, 1949.

FOUNTAIN PEN Filed Oct. 20, 1945 mw um IN V EN TOR. Ivan/ Teffz, BY

A770/?NY5 ww www Patented Mar. 8, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE FOUNTAIN PEN ivan vl). Teflt, Janesville, Wis., assigner to The Parker Pen Company, Janesville, Wis., a corporationof VJisconsin Application October 20, 1945, Serial No. 623,553

(Cl. 1Z0- 47) l5.Claims. l

The invention relates to fountain pens and more particularly to ythe ink feed and filling mechanisms thereof.

In some types of fountain pens an ink feed governor including an overflow ink collector is provided to control the flow of ink from the reservoir to the writing end of the pen nib'and in such manner that a uniform and smooth writing performance is assured, tendency'of ink to leak from the pen under ordinary :conditions of use is practically eliminated, and tendency for the writing end of the pen to dry out when exposed te the atmosphere is reduced to a Iminimum. One form of governor of the type above described is shown in the U. S. Patent No. 2,223,541, dated December 3, 1940, to Marlin S. Fens equipped with ink feed vgovernor mechanism of the type above described may be equipped With filling mechanism including a reciprocable filling plunger adapted normally to be covered by a closure capyand unless the :user is careful in filling the pen, the governor or collector device after lling Will be full of ink, Yand until some of this ink is exhausted, the Vgovernor is not conditioned for proper performance of its intended overflow ink functions.

The object of this invention is to provide filling mechanism for fountain pens of the foregoing character in which the governcr'will not be full of ink on completion of the filling operation and in which the rotary movement of the attachment of the cap covering the exposed end of the vfilling plunger acts on said plunger to release it from an intermediate filling :position to allow it to move to its full out-stroke position to withdraw all or substantially all of the Vink from the collector device that may have been deposited therein during lling into the reservoir and without any special manipulation of the filling plunger by the operator.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional View through a fountain pen embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailed sectional View .of the filling mechanism showingitat the end of its in-stroke;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. Zshowing the filling mechanism after completion of `the filling operation and before the cap is screwed down;

Fig. 4.is a. detailed Vertical sectional viewtaken on the linerll-d ofFig. 3; land Fig. 5 is a detailed vertical sectional view taken on the line E- of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the pen includes a tubular barrel of suitable plastic material having an externally threaded reduced barrel extension 'l and an internally threaded back end 8, the intermediate portion of the barrel forming an ink reservoir l2. The barrel 6 supports ink mechanism at its forward end and filling mechanism at its rear end.

The ink feed mechanism includes an overflow ink collector i3, a tubular pen nib lll, a feed bar l5, and an outer shell i6. The ink collector I3 is adapted to embrace and support the tubular nib feed bar l5, and these parts are adapted to be assembled. a unit in the extension 'l which i l in direct communication with'the reservoir I2. The parts i3, ifi, and il and it are formed, constructed and arranged similarly to the parts 3Q, 3l, 32 and 33 of the aforementioned Baker Patent No. 2,223,541 and function in asimilar manner to control the flow of ink from the pen. As the novelty of the present invention. ls not in the details of the ink feed mechanism per se but only in the association of a collector type ink feed mechanism with the lling mechanism, further desorption thereof is deemed unnecessary.

The filling mechanism includes a so-called breather tube it which is mounted 'at its front end in a, bore lll of the feed bar i5 and which corresponds to the bore 32'4101E said Balzer Patent No. 2,223,541,7and also as shown includes mechanism of the general character ldisclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. granted on April i8, 1933, to Arthur O. Dahlberg. This mechanism further includes a flexible diaphragm 20,'means for clamping such diaphragm to the barrel, a reciprocatory filling plunger "2l, means `connecting theinner end ofthe plunger with the central portion of the diaphragm, spring means for returning the plunger and diaphragm on its suction stroke. and further according tothis invention includes means for automatically preventing or stopping the plunger moving the `full length of its vstroke during filling of Athe pen by the operator, and means controlled lby the cover cap for the plunger to release said .automatic means to permit the plunger to complete its stroke and thus withdraw from the collector device any ink that have been deposited therein during the filling operation.

The diaphragm is a thin disk yof 4rubber or other suitable inkproof iiexible material. 'and the means for clamping to the barrel comprises z-a sleeve 22 having its inner end 23 tapered to correspond to the tapered barrel bore 9 with the outer edge portion of said disk wedged or clamped between said tapers to form a fluid tight joint by the clamping of said sleeve by means of a sleeve clamping nut 24 having a threaded portion 25 engaging the threaded end 8 of the barrel and having 9, threaded outer end 26 to t the internally threaded end 2l of a plunger cover cap 28.

The means connecting the inner end of the plunger with the central portion of the diaphragm includes a ball-like member 29 and a plug 3lsaid diaphragm being clamped between said balllike member and said plug and also between said ball-like member and the inner iianged end It@ of the plunger.

The filling plunger 2l is a hollow tubular member which is guided in the bores 32 and formed in the sleeve 22 and the nut 24, respectively, with its outer end having an upset connection Eli with a cover plug 35. Ihe spring means for returning said plunger on its suction stroke includes .a spring 35 interposed between said plug 35 and a spring seat member 36' which is iixedly secured against longitudinal movement by a key or bar El which projects through slots 33 in said plunger and has its ends 39 anchored at lil in the sleeve 22.

Instead of making the slots 33 straight throughout their length as shown in said Patent No. 1,904,358, said slots are made to have straight portions 42 and oifset straight portions i3 to provide locking shoulders i4 and camming or inclined surfaces t5, the straight portion ft2 being diametrically disposed while the straight portions are offset diametrically on opposite sides of said plunger from said straight portions d2. The result of this construction is that, with the cap 23 removed, as the plunger 2l is pushed inwardly against the opposing force of the spring 35 from the position shown in Fig. l to the position shown in Fig. 2, the key or bar 31 slides in the straight portions 43 until it strikes the inclined surfaces 45 and is then deflected thereby into the straight portions 42. This deflection by the surfaces d causes an angular or arcuate movement of the plunger 2l relative to the barrel, so that when the plunger 2l is released and allowed to return under the action of said spring 35, the key bar 31 strikes the oppositely disposed shoulders it of the plunger, and the plunger is thus automatically prevented from moving the full length of its stroke, and this action takes place in the ordinary lling operation of the pen, so that at the completion of the several strokes imparted to the plunger by the operator in the iilling of the pen, the plunger is held in the partial stroke position shown in Fig. 3.

To permit release of the locked plunger 2l from its partially complete out-stroke position, the cover plug 35 has a polygonal head with rounded corners 4B which are closely fitted to move in a metal sleeve 4l secured in the cover cap 2B and provided with diametrically disposed, inwardly extending detents or projections i6 which, as the operator screws said cap on the barrel nut 2t, engage the plug 35 or outer end of the plunger 2! and rotates it in a direction to release the bar 3l from the shoulders 44 whereupon the spring 35 is free to move the plunger 2i outwardly to the end of its suction stroke, thereby moving the diaphragm to its deflated position, shown in Fig. l, and thereby creating a suicient void in the reservoir to allow any ink that may have collected in the collector I3 to be drawn into the reservoir l2. Thus the overow ink chamber of the collector I3 is cleared of ink so that it may function as intended and without any special manipulation of the lling mechanism by the operator.

I desire it to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to any particular form or arrangement of parts except in so far as such limitations are included in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a fountain pen having a barrel, a reservoir including a displaceable member in said barrel, a cap removably attachable to the rear end of said barrel by relative movement between said cap and barrel and ink feed mechanism including a collector device; a reciprocatory spring returned plunger for operating the displaceable member to draw ink into said reservoir, rotatably releasable latch means holding said plunger in a partially completed return stroke position at the end of the filling operation by the operator, and latch release means on said cap operable by said movement of said cap relative to said barrel to engage and to release said latch means and allow said plunger to complete its return stroke and thereby cause said member to draw ink from said collector device into said reservoir.

2. In a fountain pen having a barrel, a reservoir including a displaceable member in said barrel, a cap removably attachable to the rear end of said barrel by relative movement between said cap and barrel, and ink feed mechanism including a collector device; a reciprocatory spring returned plunger for operating said displaceable member to draw ink into said reservoir and having a stop, a i-lxed stop to limit the stroke of said plunger to less than full stroke at the end of the llng operation by the operator, angular advance means operable upon a predetermined preliminary depression of said plunger to turn said plunger to bring its stop into engagement with said fixed stop and means on said cap operable by movement of said cap relative to said barrel and engageable with said plunger to turn said plunger to release its Stop from said fixed stop and allow it to complete its stroke and thereby cause said member to draw ink from said collector device into said reservoir.

3. In a fountain pen having a barrel, a reservoir including a displaceable member in said barrel, a cap removably attachable to the rear end of said barrel by relative movement between said cap and barrel and ink feed mechanism including a collector device; a reciprocatory spring returned plunger for operating said displaceable member to draw ink into said reservoir, said plunger having a longitudinally extended slotted portion providing offset straight slots, a shoulder and a camming surface, a stop xed to said barrel and mounted in said slotted portion and operable by reciprocation of said plunger to turn said plunger to engage said shoulder with said stop as said plunger nears the end of its return stroke at the end of the lling operation by the operator, and means on said cap operable by said movement of said cap relative to said barrel to engage said plunger and rotate the same to release said stop from said shoulder and allow said plunger to complete its return stroke and thereby cause said member to draw ink from said collector device into said reservoir.

4. In a fountain pen having a barrel, a reservoir including a displaceable member in said barrel, a cap having threaded engagement with the rear end of said barrel and adapted for movement relative to said barrel, and ink feed mechanism including a collector device; a reciprocatory spring returned plunger for operating said displaceable member to draw ink into said reservoir, said plunger having a longitudinally extended slotted portion providing offset straight slots, a shoulder and a camming surface and having a polygonal head at its rear end, a stop fixed to said barrel and mounted in said slotted portion for cooperation with said camming surface to turn said plunger and effect engagement of said shoulder with said stop by reciprocation of said plunger as said plunger nears the end of its return stroke at the end of the lling operation by the operator, and a projection on said cap operable by movement of said cap relative to said barrel to engage said polygonal head to rotate said plunger to release said stop from said shoulder and allow said plunger to complete its return stroke and thereby cause said member to draw ink from said collector device into said reservoir.

5. In a fountain pen having a barrel, a, reservoir including a displaceable member in said barrel, a cap removably attachable to the rear end of said barrel by relative movement between said cap and barrel, and ink feed mechanism including a collector device; a reciprocatory spring returned plunger for operating the displaceable member to draw ink into said reservoir,

vra stop to limit the stroke of said plunger to less the opposite direction to release it from said stop and to allow it to complete its stroke and thereby cause said member to draw ink from said collector device into said reservoir.

` IVAN D. TEFF'I.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,904,358 Dahlberg Apr. 18, 1933 2,223,541 Baker Dec. 3, 1940 

